Newsletter

New charter school seeks Jasper County students

Jasper County students will soon have another education option.

Bridges Preparatory School was recently approved by the state’s public charter school district and plans to open in August 2013.

The site is yet to be determined, but Amy Painton, the school’s vice chairwoman, said a decision is expected by the end of the month. It will likely be in northern Beaufort County, but Painton said anyone willing to donate land in Hampton or Jasper counties is encouraged to do so.

A planned community outreach session late Tuesday at the Boys & Girls Club in Ridgeland was postponed. An alternate date has not been set.

Painton said the school will begin K-8 and succeed each year to 12th grade. It expects to have a 20-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio and have 365 students the first year. She said the school would “love” it if a third of the students were from Hampton and Jasper counties.

Royal Live Oaks of the Arts & Sciences opened its charter school in Hardeeville this summer, but Painton doesn’t see it as competition, just another option. Royal Live Oaks opened its K-8 school with 450 students.

Painton, who has lived in Beaufort for seven years, said the school received a handful of applications from Jasper County.

The school will focus on a “student-centered, whole-child model that emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math.”

She said the idea is to not just educate the brain, but also focus on the physical, social, cognitive, emotional person.

“You can learn and be the best scientist, but if you don’t also form other aspects, then you are lacking,” she said. “Not every child is going to be a rocket scientist. The school is made for every ability, to challenge that student individually.”

Painton said through a three-year program, teachers will learn the Paideia method, which they will then use to teach students. According to the school’s website, the program creates “life-long learning that results in achieving an individual best regardless of one’s ability.”

“One size does not fit all for education,” Painton said. “It goes back to another choice. We address the whole child. The curriculum is catered to your particular child’s learning needs.”

She said the school will have traditional hours and might have a lottery, depending upon the number of applicants. It will offer before- and after-school care.

There are 18 board members, but none from Jasper or Hampton counties.

Painton hopes people understand the school is tuition-free to students and the curriculum is complex, so she urges those with questions to email info@bridgespreparatoryschool.org.